It’s been a while, but I’m finally finished with classes and working on my Master’s Project … I’ve got some freedom in my schedule now, so I can return to posting. To do so with something that I understand seemed too easy, so I figured I’d try expressing my reactions to the Novell-Microsoft deal — I can’t fail to make a mess of this, so feel free to rant about my mistakes in the comments.

Lately the Linux community has been in a bit of a tizzy over the deal signed between Novell and Microsoft where Microsoft agrees to exclusively market SUSE Linux to it’s customers that want a heterogeneous network environment … and I don’t quite understand the reaction.

One large driver for the adverse reaction to the deal has been the statements coming out of the FSF and SFLC … but lets not forget that these are the guys working on GPL3 (which caused an equally negative reaction in the Linux community).

Almost universally, commentors on slashdot have been opposed to the deal based on the idea that Novell is selling out Linux or violating the GPL in some way, and haven’t quieted now that Novell has agreed to show the full deal to the lawyers at the SFLC. They didn’t temper on the disclosure of the broader financial deal either, even though Microsoft is paying Novell about $480 Million dollars up front, while Novell pays Microsoft less than $40 Million over the course of three years. Nevermind that Microsoft has agreed to sell Linux, and to pay for the right to do so. Nevermind that Novell is an experienced company with lots and lots of intellectual property and patents of their own (probably including ownership of the original UNIX) and that it’s possible the whole thing is about with Novell owning IP that Microsoft needed as opposed to the other way around.

Another source of furor is all about Microsoft’s promise not to sue people who buy SUSE Linux. There’s some implication in that promise that they might, possibly, be able to sue owners of other Linux distributions… and the fact that Novell is covering itself but leaving others out in the cold has the majority of Linux users worried, frustrated, and annoyed (Novell’s SUSE makes up less than 20% of the Linux market).

Personally, I’m not worried about the future of Linux and other open source software. In the worst case, where nobody can find a way to make money from Linux, it will still remain a hobbyists and server OS, available for those with the knowhow to use it. I’m not very worried about Microsoft taking over — for most practical purposes they already have and the world didn’t end yet.

I’m more worried that this whole thing, along with the so—called “shim” that Dvorak claims Microsoft is trying to create will drive many Linux developers over to the Richard Stallman side of the isle, where “Free Software” is more than an economic reality, it’s a political and ideological imperative with the goal of preventing the creation of a software kingdom (what Microsoft has) through the establishment of a socialist software commune.

Technorati Tags: , , , , ,